The Journey March 2012
Index
Page 2 ................................... Our Mission Page 3 ...................... Why I Love Passages Page 4-5 .....................Volunteer Program Page 6-7 ................................ Social Scene Page 8 ................. Education Department Page 9 .......................... Walking with You Page 9 .................................... Cut to Cure Page 10 .......................... Spring is Sprung Page 11 ................................ Social Media Page 12 ................................ Dream Quilt
Our Mission Passages is dedicated to the human spirit — helping patients and families cross a road they may have never faced before. We provide the courage to see the beauty in this last journey and give the expertise that provides the comfort, care and support needed for each step of the way. Administrator Michael Gillman Social Services Roxxi Davis Spiritual Care Joe Barefield Clinical Services Carmen Velez Physician Services Chris Doyle Admissions Emily O’Malley PR & Foundation Kansas Swain Phone: 888-741-8985 Email: info@passageshospice.com On the web: www.passageshospice.com
Passages Becomes HispanoCare Partner
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s part of our constant effort to reach out to our local communities, we’re excited to be a new partner of HispanoCare in the Chicago area. HispanoCare’s mission is to “provide affordable, quality, bilingual, bicultural healthcare to Chicago’s Latino Community.” HispanoCare offers low-cost medical care for those without insurance, or whose insurance doesn’t cover certain expenses. As part of their mission to participate in community outreach, HispanoCare also provides preventive healthcare services and education to the Chicago community. As of January 1st, Passages Hospice is a HispanoCare partner, providing palliative care and hospice services to members across the Chicago area. Together, we can reach families who wouldn’t otherwise know about or have access to hospice care. Passages Hospice will be participating in several community education events over the next few months, helping families learn more about the benefits of hospice. For more information about HispanoCare, please visit http://www.advocatehealth.com/immc/Hispanocare.
1-773-296-7157
Look for us on CAN-TV in Chicago on March 27th, discussing our new role with HispanoCare!
Passages Hospice
Why I Love Passages By: Kelly Delbridge
Roses are Red Violets are Blue Why do I love Passages Hospice? Because of people like you! Our Admissions Coordinators are on the front line They always make sure that everything is fine. Our Nurses are there from the very start Their care and attention comes straight from their heart Our CNAs always give it their All No job for them is too big or too small Our Social Workers are kind and sweet Just ask around, they can’t be beat! Our Chaplain Services are second to none From Prayers to Blessings they get the job done Our physicians liaisons are nothing but loyal If you don’t believe me, Just ask Chris Doyle! Passages Hospice provides comfort and care to the dying With our winning staff, someone is always trying To better the days of loved ones around Kindness, compassion, and love always abound.
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Volunteer Program
Welcome New Volunteers! Region B Maya Menezes Hannah Russell Ashlee Bodden Region C Jessica Emmerson Vianney Escamillia Nilu Ali Nate Johnson Monica Negrete Nilu Ali Melissa DeBiase
Region D Andrea Bergstrom Lori Baer Bernadine Leannah Megan Henry Rosalyn Cox Amber Broad Kim Mace Allison Setzke Victoria Sims Katie Grabowski Roslyn Cox
Region E Jessica Emmerson LaDarien Gillins Laurel Hays Yvette Stoudemire Jonathan Eden Natalie Eden Dalayah Beard Edgar Minasyan Elizabeth Ramirez
Chicago State University Pharmacy Students Patient Visitor Interns (Feb-Apr) Sharon Chiu Dolapo Ajayi Nesebu Boru Jordan Ekhoff Tihitina (Tina) Yewondwosen Nuttavat (Nate) Rojprasitporn
Krystal Preston Damiete Whyte Nancy Edwards Falicha Simmons Edward Coleman Thanh Tuyen (Twin) Do
Volunteers Opportunities Direct Care Patient and Family Care Bedside Companionship Memory Projects Reading or Watching TV Family Support Bereavement After-Care Pet Visits
Indirect Care Office Support Copying and Filing Data Entry Mailings Medical Records
Requirements 16 Years or Older Reliable and Mature Volunteer Training Program Tuberculosis Screening Criminal Background Check
MORE >> Click here to visit the volunteer program online. Passages Hospice
Volunteer Program Passages Hospice volunteer program presents: Passages Pooches
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nimals make great volunteers! Friendly pets spread cheer with cuddles, licks and wagging tails. Well-behaved, vaccinated pets are always welcome! Daphne and Nemo are two of our most recent pet volunteers. For more information on becoming a Passages Pooch volunteer, contact volunteer@passageshospice.com.
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aphne is a 6 ½ year old Boston Terrier visiting patients in the Aurora area. Daphne is very new to the volunteer program, but is already busy exploring the area and seeing new faces. There is always excitement when she is out visiting patients. She enjoys wearing her rainbow sweater and showing off her latest trick - “shake”. Daphne and her owner Jessica Emmerson will be visiting patients about once a week.
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att D’Astice will be accompanied by the family Chihuahua, Nemo, on patient visits in the Rockford area. Nemo is already a Pro Pooch, having been visiting nursing homes for almost a year. Nemo loves seeing people smile, and he smiles too! When he’s happy to see someone, he curls up his lips and shows his teeth….a smile! When Nemo is not visiting patients, he enjoys chasing chipmunks and snuggling.
New Pooches Region C KoKo the Boston Terrier
Region C/E Daphne the Boston Terrier
Region D Yuki the Great Pyranese
If you see any of our Passages Pooches around town, be sure to say hello! They are a great asset to our team and we are very happy to have them join us.
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Social Scene
March Is Social Worker Month Every month, Passages Hospice social workers provide almost 1500 hours of care, helping guide patients and families through a difficult time. Social workers help us navigate relationships with ourselves, our family and those around us. Sometimes we carry emotional baggage – pain and anger toward others that make the end of life even more challenging.
Then the social worker meets with other members of the hospice care team, to help everyone understand what challenges they might face in caring for the person. Some common concerns for hospice patients are questions about death and leaving loved ones behind.
“I’ve learned more about my own life from working with those near death than I learned throughout all my years in school,” a social worker said.
Social workers ease that change by being a voice of reason and understanding. They let patients and families talk their way through concerns, worries and stress to find an agreement or solution.
“There are a lot of people involved,” says social worker Melissa Kline. “You have to know what to say, and the right time to say it.” Hospice social workers visit each patient on a regular basis and meet with family to address concerns.
Passages Hospice
Social workers help patients and families find their own answers to these questions. Years of education and experience help them sort through sometimes complicated feelings to find out what’s most important. They might make suggestions or give advice, but often they just provide a listening ear. And while they’re listening, they sometimes hear more than worries. They hear wisdom. “I’ve learned more about my own life from working with those near death than I learned throughout all my years in school,” a social worker said.
Social Scene Why I Am a Social Worker Working in hospice never crossed my mind until 2006. That year, I attended 9 funerals within 7 months. I’d lost six relatives, including both of my parents, and Paula Holoday, Social Worker three of my daughter’s childhood friends. Looking back, 2006 was the worst year of my life. But it could also be best described as the best year in regards to life-changing experiences. You might think these 9 funerals would be the reason I’m now interested in hospice work. They are part of the reason, but one particular incident, one that included a stranger within this nightmare of a year, is what helped me to recognize my future path. Having lost my father just ten weeks earlier, I was in a triage unit at our local hospital’s emergency room with my mother, who was dying of cancer. While sitting with my mother, the ambulance brought in an elderly woman from a nursing home who was very sick. I remember the nurses calling her family members and hearing their
frustration that this woman’s family wasn’t going to show up. This woman would die alone. I knew that I needed to stay with my own mother, to support her, but I found myself drifting through the curtain to check on the elderly woman from the nursing home. During her final moments, this woman was counting on the kindness of others - the compassion of nurses who were keeping her comfortable and the emotional support of a stranger who was on the other side of the curtain. It was at this moment that I understood what my purpose in life would be. This woman deserved to have loving, compassionate care at the end of her life. Hospice fulfills that need. Five years later, I am living my dream and fulfilling my purpose as a hospice social worker. I am now working on the Passages team with the most compassionate nurses and staff I have ever met. My team members make a difference every day, as witnessed by their committed care to patients and their families. Though I experienced many losses in 2006, I gained many blessings. I am living proof that there is “light after loss.” As quoted by Mitch Albom, “All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.”
Read more stories like this one on the Passages Hospice Blog. 7
Education Department
Meet PARO PARO Therapeutic Robot
Microphone
CPU
(32 bit RISC)
Light Sensor
Posture Sensor
Speaker
Ubiquitous Surface Tactile Sensors (head, under jaw, back & side, front flippers, rear flipper)
Whisker Tactile Sensor
Actuators
Temperature Sensor
(eyelid, neck, front flipper, rear flipper)
PARO is an advanced interactive robot developed by AIST, a leading Japanese industrial automation pioneer. It allows the documented benefits of animal therapy to be administered to patients in environments such as hospitals and extended care facilities where live animals present treatment or logistical difficulties.
PARO Robots Are Used to Provide: PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT shown to improve vital signs and decrease need for medication for agitation and anxiety PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT relaxation & motivation SOCIAL EFFECT activation of communication among patients and caregivers • Non-familiar animal - accepted without preconception or fear from patients
• Based on and acts like a baby harp seal • Antibiotic fur
• Voice recognition • Learned behavior through repeat interaction • Reacts to light, sound, temperature, touch, and posture
MEDIA COVERAGE
Visit Our YouTube Channel to See PARO at Work! http://www.youtube.com/user/PassagesHospice
www.PassagesHospice.com
Check out Paro on About.com Passages Hospice
Walking With You A series of video dialogues
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he Walking With You series of short videos will address common questions, concerns and topics about many areas of hospice care. Each video will be approximately two minutes long and accessible on our Youtube channel, Facebook page and website. A new video will be released every month.
that are sometimes confusing, like advance directives and levels of care.
The videos are designed to give you a behind-thescenes look into the roles various staff members play on the hospice team, as well as address topics
Walking With You: a Dialogue with a Hospice Chaplain In our first segment, chaplain Roger Carlson explains the role of a hospice chaplain for patients and families.
Each video will feature a Passages Hospice staff member and answer real questions in a direct, understandable way. We hope you’ll join us for this important series and share the videos with others. We welcome questions and suggestions for future videos on our Facebook page.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO
Cut to Cure
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ike Frye in the Passages IT department will go bald for kids cancer research! Mike will be accepting donations for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. On March 16th, he will participate in a big shaving event at Fado’s Irish Pub in downtown Chicago. If you would like to make a donation to help a child with cancer, you can give directly on their website or by phone at (888) 899-BALD. You can contact Mike Frye for more information at mfrye@passageshospice. com or (630) 659-6376.
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Spring is Sprung There’s less than a month of winter left! It’s time to freshen up our homes and habits so we can greet spring with a smile. Try these tips to dig out of your attitude rut and grow into the new season. Go green: Green-tea drinkers are about half as likely to be depressed as those who drink other beverages. Add plenty of veggies (colors, too!) to your plate. Get moving: Walking for even 20 minutes can give you a boost of mood-lifting endorphins for up to 12 hours. Say thanks: Keep a journal of things you’re thankful for. When you have a bad day, look back through the journal for little reminders of how great life can be. Get organized: If you spend just 10-15 minutes per day picking up and organizing, your workspace and home will have less clutter. Less clutter = less stress! Spring arrives March 20th. With just a few changes, you can be as refreshed and ready as nature!
Click here for more information
Passages Hospice
Social Media
March Social Worker Month National Nutrition Month Save Your Vision Month 8th - World Kidney Day 10th - National Women and Girls HIV/ AIDS Awareness Day 11th - Daylight Saving Begins 12th-18th - Brain Awareness Day 17th - St. Patrick’s Day
Do you Blog? A blog is an online “journal” either for an individual person or organization. We have a blog on our website that discusses our own events and news from around the hospice and healthcare fields. We are looking for guest bloggers! Do you enjoy writing? We can write the blog for you if you just enjoy talking. Contact Kaitlyn Henderson at khenderson@passageshospice.com. Share our mission-spread the word.
24th - Open House 25th-31 - National Tsunami Awareness 27th - American Diabetes Alert Day
Social Networks
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Create a Dream Quilt patch in the memory of your loved one today and help make future dreams a reality....
Help others to live their Dream with your donation of a Dreams Quilt patch. The Dreams Quilt H elp others to live their Dream with your donation of a Dreams Quilt patch. The Dreams Quilt is
a virtual online quilt is filled the memories families and friends aisvirtual online quilt thatthat is filled withwith the memories families and friends have shared shared about about aa loved lovedWith one.aWith small donation can personalize a quiltin square onesizes of two one. smalladonation you canyou personalize a quilt square one ofintwo andsizes withand a design with a design of your choice. The quilt is always available to view and share on the Hospice of your choice. The quilt is always available to view and share on the Passages Hospice Dreams Dreams website. Your donation a quilt a quilt patch goes directly towards fulfilling website. Your donation of a quiltofpatch goes directly towards fulfilling Dreams throughDreams Passages through Hospice Dreams. Keep your memories alive by adding to our Dreams Quilt today. Hospice Dreams. Keep your memories alive by adding to our Dreams Quilt today. To create your To create quilt patch memory loved one, or for other ways to donate to help own quiltyour patchown in memory of ainloved one,of orafor other ways to donate to help someone’s Dream someone’s true, just visit our website today. come true, Dream just visitcome our website today.
www.PassagesDreams.org www.hospicedreams.org As a 501(c)3 charitable organization, Passages Hospice Dreams gives hospice patients the opportunity to live out a Asdream—a a 501(c)3final charitable organization, Hospice Dreams gives hospice patients the opportunity to live out a adventure — where they can spend a joy-filled day with loved ones creating memories of living.
dream-a final adventure - where they can spend a joy-filled day with loved ones creating memories of living.
Passages Hospice
Your passage to care and comfort. We are dedicated to the requirement of excellence and family-centered care. We are dedicated to being receptive to each patient’s social, emotional, and intellectual safety and physical needs. We are dedicated to enhancing quality of life by promoting and restoring health, calming suffering, and possessing continued compassion for the sick and dying in a way that ensures dignity and respect. We are dedicated to working with professionals who follow the highest values of excellence to establish an individualized plan of care offering personal choices and decisions, while still maintaining each patient’s uniqueness. We are dedicated to a level of care that encourages the safe and cost-effective delivery of hospice care, maximizing patient sovereignty and coordination of community and agency resources, and promoting optimistic outcomes.
We are dedicated to the human spirit.
Providing Quality Care In: Bloomington, IL 404 N. Hershey Road, Ste. A Bloomington, IL 61704 Phone: 309.828.8139 Fax: 309.827.4878
Lisle, IL 515 Warrenville Road Lisle, IL 60532 Phone: 630.824.0400 Fax: 630.395.9235
Carbondale, IL 120 North Tower Rd., Ste. A Carbondale, IL 62901 Phone: 618.490.1040
Rockford, IL 929 S. Alpine Road, Ste. 202 Rockford, IL 61108 Phone: 815.226.7785 Fax: 815.226.7786
New loca t comi ng s ions oon! Swansea, IL 16 Bronze Pointe Blvd. Swansea, IL 62226 Phone: 618.234.7078 Fax: 618.257.7266
Livonia, MI 38099 Schoolcraft Road Livonia, MI 48150 Phone: 734-744-5091 Fax: 734-744-5092
Anonymous Compliance Hotline (866) 842-7093 As part of our continuing commitment to compliance we are encouraging facilities and other partners to use this number if they have a concern.
Passages Hospice
www.passageshospice.com
info@passageshospice.com